“My favourite Ali fight had to be the Thrilla in Manila against Joe Frazier, the build up and fight were amazing.”

Those sentiments were echoed by his stablemate George Rhodes Jnr, who added: “Obviously Ali is known as the greatest of all time, but who knows how great he could’ve been had he not been banned for three years in his prime.

“He is a world figure, not just in boxing but in sport, and is a massive loss.

“His standout fight for me was the Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman, nobody thought he could do it.”

Bridlington-based Westway boxer George Horner also paid tribute to Ali.

He said: “Ali was a true legend and a person the sport of boxing will never forget.

“His fight with Henry Cooper at Wembley Stadium sticks in my head, with him getting dropped by that huge left-hook and showing the character to get up and go on to win the fight.

“There’ll never be another boxer, or sportsman, like Muhammad Ali again.”

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